The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for handling orders in which an individual order product having at least one component is managed for each assembly of components.
Conventionally, electric device manufactures manage parts data by using a production management system. The manufacturers standardize parts or place an order for parts to develop a new product.
For this reason, as related arts, JP-A No. 2000-331052 discloses a product data management (PDM) system for managing configuration information of a product. The PDM system can easily secure consistency of edit information when cooperating with other systems. According to Patent Document 1, the PDM system records configuration information of respective parts which constitute a product in a tree form.
JP-A No. 2001-331535 discloses a component table data integrating apparatus which edits component table data created by a three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) and component table data created by a two-dimensional CAD. According to JP-A No. 2001-331535, the component table data integrating apparatus integrates 3D component table data and 2D component table data which are edited to thereby create integrated component table data by using a user interface through a tree view.
JP-A No. 2004-192352 discloses plural systems in which production configuration management and production arrangement are separately performed. According to JP-A No. 2004-192352, a product configuration management system (PDM data system) which creates and manages arrangement information and component configuration information and a production arrangement system (enterprise resource planning (ERP)) which performs a deadline setting and progress management are provided. Further, a linkage system which links the PDM system and the ERP system is provided. The system creates arrangement information of a component and associates arrangement information with component configuration information.
JP-A No. H07-044609 discloses a design update application control system which automatically and reasonably determines the application of the design update of products. According to JP-A No. H07-044609, an application rule of a design update is registered in a form that can be processed by a computer.
An individual order product is relatively high in price, and it takes a long time to complete a product from an order. As competition between companies grows heated, it is required to produce and deliver a product in a short term and at a low price.
In order to solve the above problem, there is a method for arranging some components before basic design is completed. Meanwhile, a specification of a product is sometimes updated by a customer's intention after basic design is completed. In this instance, even though components are equal in basic design, components are arranged in advance in some products, and components are arranged after design updates in other products. As a result, there is a need that when updating of a design is determined, that should be reflected in components which are not arranged in advance and should not be reflected in components that are arranged in advance.